In the NFL, just like with life in general, there is action, reaction, then revisionism.
Then there is a re-examination before reality exposes revisionists.
Chicago Bears offensive line improvement definitely has been picked apart of late after it initially was praised universally as a way to get Caleb Williams what he needs to succeed.
Now it's back to reality. Apparently they are good after all.
After the Bears traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, initial reaction feted GM Ryan Poles for wisely avoiding free agent bidding wars by acquiring two players at need positions at low costs. Cost in Thuney's case was a fourth-round pick and Jackson a sixth-rounder.
Then came the critics to chip away, like SI.com's Gilberto Manzano, who saw Jackson as a big risk.
"On the field, the Bears are banking on guard Jonah Jackson, who was benched most of last season by the Rams," Manzano wrote.
NFL.com's Kevin Patra saw something similar.
"There is some risk here—especially given Jackson's injury history (he hasn't played a full regular season since 2020)—but that gamble is preferable to the alternative," Patra admitted.
The alternative was last year's shuffling of Teven Jenkins, Nate Davis, Ryan Bates, Matt Pryor, Bill Murray and even center Doug Kramer between the guard positions.
Not good.
There are always injury risks with every player and the benching situation with Jackson was greatly exaggerated.
It was more the case of a problem created by the Rams themselves when they told Jackson to do something difficult, not really what they brought him to California to do. That was play center. Jackson had played 3,782 downs on offense in the NFL before he came to L.A. and 24 of them had been at center.
Now, in a piece this week for Pro Football Focus on best NFL duos, Zoltán Buday brings a reality check back to the Bears' offensive line situation with high praise for Poles' moves. Buday has Thuney and Jackson ranked as the best guard duo in the NFL, and labeled them "elite."
"Joe Thuney is arguably the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL," Buday wrote. "Before moving to left tackle in 2024, he was playing some of the best football of his career."
Buday points to a stretch of eight weeks in 2024 when Thuney allowed one pass rush pressure in 316 plays, and a 95.6 PFF grade for that stretch, "...which led all guards by a significant margin."
The bigger question, of course, is the less-decorated Jackson.
"In previous years, he ranked among the top 30 guards in PFF overall grade multiple times under then-Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is now the Chicago Bears' head coach," Buday wrote. "Slightly above-average play from Jackson could be enough to make this duo the best in the NFL."
Even here, Buday says Jackson was benched. But is it really a benching when you weren't intended to play the position? Jackson was hurt in training camp as a guard, came back, and on the eve of the season was told to play center. Even Sean McVay admitted this was a mistake they made and all but apologized after the season to Jackson.
"This guy’s a stud–stud human, stud physically, mentally tough dude," McVay told reporters about Jackson. "I'm a big fan of him. He’ll do really well for them (the Bears). There’s a reason Ben (Johnson) wanted him back.”
At risk of bending and twisting things too far toward the positive, if you're looking for possible flaws in all of this there are a few not specifically mentioned by critics.
Thuney has been one of the league's best guards while playing next to possibly the league's best centers, Creed Humphrey. Is he this good at age 32 playing next to center Drew Dalman? It's not like Dalman was terrible last year. PFF, in fact, graded him fourth in the NFL among the 40 who made the most snaps. He's not No. 1 like Humphrey, but definitely highly regarded.
Also, Thuney isn't the best run blocker at guard by long shot, according to PFF. His strength is pass blocking. He graded out worse by PFF standards as a run blocker than Teven Jenkins did by one slot, at 13th overall.
Jackson's past injuries are a concern from a playing consistency standpoint. He was solid when he played, but missing games in four straight years and 23 total in the last three is exactly what caused the Bears to let Jenkins leave—that and a habit of not finishing games.
Still, these perceived issues fail to outweigh the past blocking performances of both guards.
The real problem the Bears have at guard is their depth. Whereas last year Pryor came on and stayed healthy while performing admirably as an experienced blocker, they're left now with Bates and Murray beind them. Bates was getting stem cell treatment for a shoulder injury and Murray suffered a torn pectoral muscle after only a handful of plays.
Yet, health is fickle in the NFL. As for consistency and strong play, the Bears have two who achieved it enough at guard to be in the Pro Bowl—and in Thuney's case the Super Bowl six times.
It's easy to see why they would rate at least among the top NFL guard duos even if the best is stretching it.
